It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. This past weekend we saw the entire spectrum to go along with what already was an unusual time in our lives.
Rearranging our lives to accommodate the pandemic has taken its toll on all of us, and we’re trying to adjust to what is becoming a new normal — hopefully temporary.
The “best” happened when area restaurants were able to open for outdoor dining on Friday, and The Chew Chew and La Barra Restaurant accommodated anxious diners, many of whom were regulars who had been satisfying their taste buds by ordering for curbside pickup.
It was good to see the faces of so many friends and neighbors who, underneath their masks, were smiling. Good to be out and see, be seen and dine.
We got to use our driveways this weekend and, yes, it was a good thing. Work is progressing on Selborne Road, and this week is hopefully going to be the last phase. At that point, we will have to go back to street parking wherever we can find it, first come first serve.
You don’t appreciate how nice it is to pull up on your driveway and unload your groceries until you can’t, but soon enough we will be able to drive on our new street and on to our driveway. This is the third time we have gone through work on Selborne Road since we’ve been here. The first time we were assessed for it, ouch, so I’m not complaining.
Then things changed, radically, in the wake of the death of George Floyd. Looting and vandalism took place on Sunday at the North Riverside Park Mall. What we were viewing on TV wasn’t happening elsewhere, it was happening right next door.
I often wonder what goes through people’s minds as they loot. It is stealing from stores, and it doesn’t seem to solve the problem, It only makes it worse.
I get it, the anger, the unhappiness and that we need to fix the problem, but this doesn’t seem the way.
Try to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. This can be a better place, but it is up to you and me.
